The 5th Dimension

GDB2LV said:
The 5th Dimension Traveling Sunshine Show. Carpenters sing Someone Like You and Superstar. DVD
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By the way, ‘Reason to Believe’ is titled ‘Someone Like You’ by error on the DVD cover. K&R mime to ‘Reason to Believe’ and ‘Superstar’ on the show, plus perform one very short ‘skit’ - well, just say a couple of words each. The ‘Superstar’ clip might be taken from somewhere else -I’m not sure. The clips are good to see, though. They’re probably on YouTube, btw.
 
David A said:
Wow, great thanks for the info. I did not know they were on their show!
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I also remember watching a clip of Lamonte and Karen on ‘Make Your Own Kind of Music’, which K & R hosted. Karen claps her hand over Lamonte’s mouth, from memory, to stop him from saying something. (It’s scripted and rehearsed)....or is that on ‘Travelling Sunshine’? Can’t remember. I think it’s ‘Make Your Own Kind of Music’.
 
The 1974 album "Soul & Inspiration" is missing from iTunes. I wonder if Time Life are going to do "The Flip Wilson Show" (The Complete Series 1970 - 1974) on DVD?? I saw The 5th Dimension (with the late Tim Conway in early 1972 on Nick At Nite) & their last appearance in late 1973 which they did the song "Flashback".
 
Harry said:
UP UP: DEFINITIVE contains "I'll Be Lovin' You Forever", while ESSENTIAL substitutes "California My Way". The order of the earlier tracks was altered to put them in a slightly better chronological order.

UP UP: DEFINITIVE was remastered by Bob Irwin of Sundazed Music, while ESSENTIAL was remastered again by Vic Anesini. I've not heard ESSENTIAL, but then UP UP sounds so good I didn't feel a need to change. The packaging on UP UP is prettier too.

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Agreed my mother had a few of their Lps so it the Fifth Dimension were definitely part of my Childhood I especially love "One Less Bell to Answer " which was the first version of the Bacharach gem I heard and at the risk of bring redundant In my opinion Its The Definitive version.
 
This is so odd that this should be posted. One night before bed two years back or so I was listening to this great track because it’s a favorite, then when I went to sleep I had a dream that involved the “Let the Sunshine In” and Karen. The basis for the dream came from the use of this song in the movie “Recess: School’s Out” from 2001, an animated kids movie from Disney that I still love (and has an amazing soundtrack full of mid-late 60s hits)

In the scene from the movie the protagonist and his friends run off to enjoy their last bit of summer, and overall their youth, after a wild adventure they’d been on. The principal watches as they go off and smiles, remembering his youth in the 60s (which we see flashbacks of), but as joyful as the song is it’s also given a wistful hue for us and him. It always moved me.

In my dream the second half of the song was playing out loud and the roles had been changed, I was in the position of the principal (as my own age now I assume) and I remember watching Karen alone walking off into the summer sunlight beaming on her. I held my hand up and waved slightly and she looked back and smiled a few times before she eventually walked out of my view. It was the Karen from 1969-1971, which fits with the era of the song and the time shown in the film. It was like she was given a fresh slate, a new lease on life to roam the world as she pleased. It was this combo of, again, joy and sadness. It’s a mix of emotions, ideas, and eras - for myself, Karen, the song, and the movie. There’s a bunch of ways you can analyze it I’m sure, but like her voice there was a purity to the sound and image that I can’t shake still. I wouldn’t want to.

Here’s the scene:
 
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Another Son said:
I also remember watching a clip of Lamonte and Karen on ‘Make Your Own Kind of Music’, which K & R hosted. Karen claps her hand over Lamonte’s mouth, from memory, to stop him from saying something. (It’s scripted and rehearsed)....or is that on ‘Travelling Sunshine’? Can’t remember. I think it’s ‘Make Your Own Kind of Music’.
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Here you go i found it skip to 3:45

 
Jarred said:
This is so odd that this should be posted. One night before bed two years back or so I was listening to this great track because it’s a favorite, then when I went to sleep I had a dream that involved the “Let the Sunshine In” and Karen. The basis for the dream came from the use of this song in the movie “Recess: School’s Out” from 2001, an animated kids movie from Disney that I still love (and has an amazing soundtrack full of mid-late 60s hits)

In the scene from the movie the protagonist and his friends run off to enjoy their last bit of summer, and overall their youth, after a wild adventure they’d been on. The principal watches as they go off and smiles, remembering his youth in the 60s (which we see flashbacks of), but as joyful as the song is it’s also given a wistful hue for us and him. It always moved me.

In my dream the second half of the song was playing out loud and the roles had been changed, I was in the position of the principal (as my own age now I assume) and I remember watching Karen alone walking off into the summer sunlight beaming on her. I held my hand up and waved slightly and she looked back and smiled a few times before she eventually walked out of my view. It was the Karen from 1969-1971, which fits with the era of the song and the time shown in the film. It was like she was given a fresh slate, a new lease on life to roam the world as she pleased. It was this combo of, again, joy and sadness. It’s a mix of emotions, ideas, and eras - for myself, Karen, the song, and the movie. There’s a bunch of ways you can analyze it I’m sure, but like her voice there was a purity to the sound and image that I can’t shake still. I wouldn’t want to.

Here’s the scene:
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Not to get too ‘heavy’, but maybe that was a little message from Karen telling you she’s A-OK. Dreams can be very meaningful.
👍👍
 
I was a big fan of the 5th Dimension and still like a lot of their songs. "Light Sings" (which I still don't understand why it wasn't a huge hit) is probably my favorite of theirs, although I'm a big fan of "Wedding Bell Blues" too. If I'm picking my favorite Marilyn McCoo balladry, I'd probably have to go with "Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes" which has those wonderfully-groovy '70s lyrics. I also really like "Last Night" but it slips in to the "heard it too much" category, although if I'm in the mood for it, it's still great.
 
Just learned that Tony Macauley wrote "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep At All" for Carpenters. They passed on it because of the "sleeping pill" reference. He re-wrote the line without that but he didn't like it. The next week, Bones Howe reached out to him looking for songs and he pitched the song to the Fifth Dimension instead and the rest is history.

Interesting...

Ed
 
Mike Blakesley said:
I was a big fan of the 5th Dimension and still like a lot of their songs. "Light Sings" (which I still don't understand why it wasn't a huge hit) is probably my favorite of theirs
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I enjoyed a lot of their hits as they came and went on the radio, and I bought a few of their albums that were out at the time, including LOVE'S LINES, ANGLES AND RHYMES, the album that contains "Light Sings".

Flash forward to the late 90s when I bought the UP UP AND AWAY: DEFINITIVE COLECTION CDs and brought it home, put it om, and enjoyed all of the tracks. Then on Disc 2 came "Light Sings", and it was like someone opened the shades on a sunny morning. It was just indescribable joy to reconnect with a song like that, and it's been a favorite ever since.
 
I think Last Night would have worked well for the duo. It has a nice lilt with long notes which would show off Karen's voice well. Like many songs, I can hear them in my head. :wink:
 
Harry said:
I enjoyed a lot of their hits as they came and went on the radio, and I bought a few of their albums that were out at the time, including LOVE'S LINES, ANGLES AND RHYMES, the album that contains "Light Sings".

Flash forward to the late 90s when I bought the UP UP AND AWAY: DEFINITIVE COLECTION CDs and brought it home, put it om, and enjoyed all of the tracks. Then on Disc 2 came "Light Sings", and it was like someone opened the shades on a sunny morning. It was just indescribable joy to reconnect with a song like that, and it's been a favorite ever since.
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I Couldn't agree with you more "Light sings was a new one to me but It had the same effect on me too along with other personal favorites
 
Interview With Songwriter
Tony Macaulay
More:
Q - "(Last Night) I Couldn't Get To Sleep At All". How long did it take you to write that ?
A - I'd done a lot of hits by then. I went to the Tokyo Song Festival and I hung out with The Carpenters.
They'd just recorded "We've Only Just Begun". I liked the feel of that, the shuffle feel of it. The time change completely screwed me. I don't know what it is. It must be ten hours. I don't know what it is. I know I was awake all night and sleeping all day. So, I just got up in the night and I wrote it. I had it for a while, that melody. I just thought it needs a hook. Maybe it didn't. That was the melody. It just needed a bridge. I wrote the lyric in a taxi, stuck in a traffic jam in London, in about an hour, going from one side of London to another. I did a demo of it and gave it to Karen and Richard. They said they loved it and they'd do it. I got a phone call about 2 o'clock in the morning that woke me up and they hadn't figured out the time change between here and America. They said, "Oh, we can't record it because it mentions sleeping pills and they are drugs and we don't mention drugs." So, I got up in the middle of the night and rewrote the last verse without the sleeping pills. I was angry. "
Source:
Gary James' Interview With Songwriter Tony Macaulay
 
The song "Which Way To Nowhere" (from 1967 "Up, Up And Away") was also done by The Brooklyn Bridge (featuring the late singer Johnny Maestro) on Buddah Records self - titled in 1969. The song "California My Way" was also done by The Committee (on White Whale Records 45 single) in October of 1967 & The Main Ingredient in late 1974. My older brother Mark back then had the "MONO" album of "Up, Up And Away" when I heard it for the first time at 6 years old in 1971. I also heard "Living Together, Growing Together" along with "What Do I Need To Be Me" (featuring the late Ron Townson on lead vocal) back in March of 1973 when I was 7 years old when someone bought the Bell 45 single. I also saw the ABC TV special "Burt Bacharach In Shangri - La" which also had The 5th Dimension & part of that TV special (working in the studio) is on YouTube.
 
AM Matt said:
I also heard "Living Together, Growing Together" along with "What Do I Need To Be Me" (featuring the late Ron Townson on lead vocal) back in March of 1973 when I was 7 years old when someone bought the Bell 45 single. I also saw the ABC TV special "Burt Bacharach In Shangri - La" which also had The 5th Dimension & part of that TV special (working in the studio) is on YouTube.
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That's the song from and the TV special to promote the infamous Lost Horizon movie that nearly ended Bacharach's career isn't it? I finally saw that film late night a few months ago - it is pretty much as bad as it's painted out to be and the music isn't among Burt's best efforts, but still a sort of interesting curio.

I'm sure the Carpenters and the 5th Dimension had a big crossover in terms of their fans in the early 1970s. I liked some of the 5th Dimension's songs, although they often veered dangerously close to what I'd call 'cheesy'. Plus as a big fan of Laura Nyro, while they were the ones who had hits with her songs, Laura's original versions always sounded better to me.

'Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes' might be their best track, if only because it's such an unusual and complex song. They also did a very nice version of Godspell's 'Day by Day' that I think is better than the original.
 
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Rumbahbah said:
That's the song from and the TV special to promote the infamous Lost Horizon movie that nearly ended Bacharach's career isn't it? I finally saw that film late night a few months ago - it is pretty much as bad as it's painted out to be and the music isn't among Burt's best efforts, but still a sort of interesting curio.
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LOST HORIZON has its fan base, though there aren't too many who would call it great art. I'm one of those who like the movie a good bit - enough to have purchased it on LaserDisc, DVD, and Blu-ray.
 
It had huge expectations from the movie company and soundtrack recording. It unfortunately bombed and there were hundreds of copies in the cut out bins not long after. There were some memorable songs and 5th Dimension released there version of Living Together. Not much helped. I remember the actor Bobby Van really became a joke in Hollywood. It’s considered one of the worst films ever made. I thought it was okay, and it does have its fans. It lost millions at the box office though. It didn’t help Burt Bacharach's career either. Fortunately he rebounded from it later.
 
To me, the best result from Lost Horizon is Burt Bacharach's album Living Together. He did five of the songs from the movie on that album and they are all outstanding. It's my favorite album of his, along with the self-titled one (I think it's a tie).

I can't say I was a huge fan of the 5th Dimension's version of "Living Together, Growing Together" -- from that album I liked the single "Ashes to Ashes" better, although I don't think it's aged as well as some of their other songs.
 
By the way, the late Ron Townson played a "hell angel" biker (witch almost destroyed Rampart Hospital) in an episode "Frequency" of the NBC TV series "Emergency!" from September of 1973 & the start of the 3rd Season BUT also the last gold logo for MARK VII Limited because it was changed back to the hammer strikes back (one drop) in the next episode. I do have "The Complete Series" on DVD BUT Seasons 3, 4 & 5 in selected episodes (1973 - 1976) have scratched films instead of the remastered tape because of music rights (music may differ from original version).
 
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